Bratislava is the political, cultural and economic centre of Slovakia. It is the seat of the Slovak president, the parliament and the Slovak Executive. It is home to several universities, museums, theatres, galleries and other important cultural and educational institutions.[5] Many of Slovakia's large businesses and financial institutions also have headquarters there. Bratislava is the sixth richest region of the European Union and GDP per capita is about 3 times higher than in other Slovak regions.[6][7]

The city received its contemporary name in 1919. Beforehand it was mostly known in English by its German name, Pressburg, as it was long dominated by Austrians and other German-speakers. This is the term which the German, the pre-1919 Slovak (Prešporok) and Czech (Prešpurk) names are derived from.[11] The city's Hungarian name, Pozsony, was given after the castle's first castellan, "Poson". The origin of the name is unclear: it might come from the CzechPos or the GermanPoscho, which are personal names. Hungarian speakers still use the Hungarian name, Pozsony.[10]

During the revolution of 1918–1919, the name 'Wilsonov' or 'Wilsonstadt' (after President Woodrow Wilson) was proposed by American Slovaks, as he supported national self-determination. The name Bratislava, which was used before only by some Slovak patriots, became official in March 1919.[13]

Other alternative names of the city in the past include Greek: Ιστρόπολις Istropolis (meaning "Danube City", also used in Latin), Czech: Prešpurk, French: Presbourg, Italian: Presburgo, Latin: Posonium, Romanian: Pojon and Serbo-Croatian: Požun / Пожун. The name Pressburg was also used in English-language publications until 1919, and it is occasionally used today.

In older documents, confusion can be caused by the Latin forms Bratislavia, Wratislavia etc., which refer to Wrocław, Poland – not to Bratislava.[14]

The area fell under Roman influence from the 1st to the 4th century AD and was made part of the Danubian Limes, a border defence system.[16] The Romans introduced grape growing to the area and began a tradition of winemaking, which survives to the present.[17]

Pressburg in 1588

The Slavs arrived from the East between the 5th and 6th centuries during the Migration Period.[18] As a response to onslaughts by Avars, the local Slavic tribes rebelled and established Samo's Empire (623–658), the first known Slavic political entity. In the 9th century, the castles at Bratislava (Brezalauspurc) and Devín(Dowina) were important centres of the Slavic states: the Principality of Nitra and Great Moravia.[19] Scholars have debated the identification as fortresses of the two castles built in Great Moravia, based on linguistic arguments and because of the absence of convincing archaeological evidence.[20][21]

The first written reference to a settlement named "Brezalauspurc" dates to 907 and is related to the Battle of Pressburg, during which a Bavarian army was defeated by the Hungarians. It is connected to the fall of Great Moravia, already weakened by its own inner decline[22] and under the attacks of the Hungarians.[23] The exact location of the battle remains unknown, and some interpretations place it west of Lake Balaton.[24]

Pressburg in the 17th century

In the 10th century, the territory of Pressburg (what would later become Pozsony county) became part of Hungary (called "the Kingdom of Hungary" from 1000). It developed as a key economic and administrative centre on the kingdom's frontier.[25] This strategic position destined the city to be the site of frequent attacks and battles, but also brought it economic development and high political status. It was granted its first known "town privileges" in 1291 by the Hungarian King Andrew III,[26] and was declared a free royal town in 1405 by KingSigismund. In 1436 he authorized the town to use its own coat of arms.[27]

The Kingdom of Hungary was defeated by the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Mohács in 1526. The Turks besieged and damaged Pressburg, but failed to conquer it.[28] Owing to Ottoman advances into Hungarian territory, the city was designated the new capital of Hungary in 1536, becoming part of the Austrian Habsburg monarchy and marking the beginning of a new era. The city became a coronation town and the seat of kings, archbishops (1543), the nobility and all major organisations and offices. Between 1536 and 1830, eleven Hungarian kings and queens were crowned at St. Martin's Cathedral.[29] The 17th century was marked by anti-Habsburg uprisings, fighting with the Turks, floods, plagues and other disasters, which diminished the population.[30]

The city started to lose its importance under the reign of Maria Theresa's son Joseph II,[31] especially after the crown jewels were taken to Vienna in 1783 in an attempt to strengthen the union between Austria and Hungary. Many central offices subsequently moved to Buda, followed by a large segment of the nobility.[36] The first newspapers in Hungarian and Slovak were published here: Magyar hírmondó in 1780, and Presspurske Nowiny in 1783.[37] In the course of the 18th century, the city became a centre for the Slovak national movement.

Pressburg in a drawing from 1787

The city's 19th-century history was closely tied to the major events in Europe. The Peace of Pressburg between Austria and France was signed here in 1805.[38]Theben Castle was ruined by Napoleon's French troops during an invasion of 1809.[39] In 1825 the Hungarian National Learned Society (the present Hungarian Academy of Sciences) was founded in Pressburg using a donation from István Széchenyi. In 1843 Hungarian was proclaimed the official language in legislation, public administration and education by the Diet in the city.[40]

Industry developed rapidly in the 19th century. The first horse-drawn railway in the Kingdom of Hungary,[43] from Pressburg to Szentgyörgy Svätý Jur, was built in 1840.[44] A new line to Vienna using steam locomotives was opened in 1848, and a line to Pest in 1850.[45] Many new industrial, financial and other institutions were founded; for example, the first bank in present-day Slovakia was founded in 1842.[46] The city's first permanent bridge over the Danube, Starý most, was built in 1891.[47]

Pressburg in the 19th century

Before World War I, the city had a population that was 42% ethnic German, 41% Hungarian and 15% Slovak (1910 census). After World War I and the formation of Czechoslovakia on October 28, 1918, the city was incorporated into the new state despite its representatives' reluctance.[48] The dominant Hungarian and German population tried to prevent annexation of the city to Czechoslovakia and declared it a free city. However, the Czechoslovak Legions occupied the city on January 1, 1919, and made it part of Czechoslovakia.[48] The city became the seat of Slovakia's political organs and organizations and became Slovakia's capital on 4 February.[49] On February 12, 1919 the German and Hungarian population started a protest against the Czechoslovak occupation, but the Czechoslovak Legions opened fire on the unarmed demonstrators.[50]

On March 27, 1919, the name Bratislava was officially adopted for the first time.[51] Left without any protection after the retreat of the Hungarian army, many Hungarians were expelled or fled.[52] Czechs and Slovaks moved their households to Bratislava. Education in Hungarian and German was radically reduced in the city.[53] By the 1930 Czechoslovakiancensus, the Hungarian population of Bratislava had decreased to 15.8% (see the Demographics of Bratislava article for more details).

In 1938, Nazi Germany annexed neighbouring Austria in the Anschluss; later that year it also annexed the still-separate from Bratislava Petržalka and Devín boroughs on ethnic grounds, as these had many ethnic Germans.[54][55] Bratislava was declared the capital of the first independent Slovak Republic on March 14, 1939, but the new state quickly fell under Nazi influence. In 1941–1942 and 1944–1945, the new Slovak government cooperated in deporting most of Bratislava's approximately 15,000 Jews;[56] they were transported to concentration camps, where most were killed or died before the end of the war.[57]

Allied ordnance damage at the Apollo company industrial plant in Bratislava, September 1944, World War II

Bratislava was bombarded by the Allies, occupied by German troops in 1944, and eventually taken by troops of the Soviet2nd Ukrainian Front on 4 April 1945.[54][58] At the end of World War II, most of Bratislava's ethnic Germans were helped to evacuate by the German authorities. A few returned after the war, but were soon expelled without their properties under the Beneš decrees,[59] part of a widespread expulsion of ethnic Germans from eastern Europe.

In 1993, the city became the capital of the newly formed Slovak Republic following the Velvet Divorce.[61] In the 1990s and the early 21st century, its economy boomed due to foreign investment. The city has also hosted several important cultural and political events.[clarification needed]

Bratislava is situated in south-western Slovakia, within the Bratislava Region. Its location on the borders with Austria and Hungary makes it the only national capital that borders between two countries. It is only 62 kilometres (38.5 mi) from the border with the Czech Republic and only 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) from the Austrian capital Vienna.[62]

The city has a total area of 367.58 square kilometres (141.9 sq mi), making it the second-largest city in Slovakia by area (after the township of Vysoké Tatry).[63] Bratislava straddles the Danube River, which it had developed around and for centuries was the chief transportation route to other areas. The river passes through the city from the west to the south-east. The Middle Danube basin begins at Devín Gate in western Bratislava. Other rivers are the Morava River, which forms the north-western border of the city and enters the Danube at Devín, the Little Danube, and the Vydrica, which enters the Danube in the borough of Karlova Ves.

Recently, the transitions from winter to summer and summer to winter have been rapid, with short autumn and spring periods. Snow occurs less frequently than previously.[65] Extreme temperatures (1981–2013) – record high: 39.4 °C (102.9 °F),[70] record low: −24.6 °C (−12.3 °F). Some areas, particularly Devín and Devínska Nová Ves, are vulnerable to floods from the Danube and Morava rivers.[71] New flood protection has been built on both banks.[72]

A curiosity is the underground (formerly ground-level) restored portion of the Jewish cemetery where 19th-century Rabbi Moses Sofer is buried, located at the base of the castle hill near the entrance to a tram tunnel.[83] The only military cemetery in Bratislava is Slavín, unveiled in 1960 in honour of Soviet Army soldiers who fell during the liberation of Bratislava in April 1945. It offers an excellent view of the city and the Little Carpathians.[84][85]

One of the most prominent structures in the city is Bratislava Castle, situated on a plateau 85 metres (279 ft) above the Danube. The castle hill site has been inhabited since the transitional period between the Stone and Bronze ages[89] and has been the acropolis of a Celtic town, part of the RomanLimes Romanus, a huge Slavic fortified settlement, and a political, military and religious centre for Great Moravia.[90] A stone castle was not constructed until the 10th century, when the area was part of the Kingdom of Hungary.

The castle was converted into a Gothic anti-Hussite fortress under Sigismund of Luxemburg in 1430, became a Renaissance castle in 1562,[91] and was rebuilt in 1649 in the baroque style. Under QueenMaria Theresa, the castle became a prestigious royal seat. In 1811, the castle was inadvertently destroyed by fire and lay in ruins until the 1950s,[92] when it was rebuilt mostly in its former Theresian style.

The ruined and recently renovated Devín Castle is in the borough of Devín, on top of a rock where the Morava River, which forms the border between Austria and Slovakia, enters the Danube. It is one of the most important Slovak archaeological sites and contains a museum dedicated to its history.[93] Due to its strategic location, Devín Castle was a very important frontier castle of Great Moravia and the early Hungarian state. It was destroyed by Napoleon's troops in 1809. It is an important symbol of Slovak and Slavic history.[94]

Rusovce mansion, with its English park, is in the Rusovce borough. The house was originally built in the 17th century and was turned into an English neo-Gothic-style mansion in 1841–1844.[95] The borough is also known for the ruins of the Roman military camp Gerulata, part of Limes Romanus, a border defence system. Gerulata was built and used between the 1st and 4th centuries AD.[96]

Due to its location in the foothills of the Little Carpathians and its riparian vegetation on the Danubian floodplains, Bratislava has forests close to the city centre. The total amount of public green space is 46.8 square kilometres (18.1 sq mi), or 110 square metres (1,200 sq ft) per inhabitant.[97] The largest city park is Horský park (literally, Mountainous Park), in the Old Town. Bratislavský lesný park (Bratislava Forest Park) is located in the Little Carpathians and includes many locales popular among visitors, such as Železná studienka and Koliba. The Forest Park covers an area of 27.3 square kilometres (10.5 sq mi), of which 96% is forested mostly with oak and mixed oak/hornbeam forest, and contains original flora and fauna such as European badgers, red foxes, wild boar and red and roe deer. On the right bank of the Danube, in the borough of Petržalka, is Janko Kráľ Park founded in 1774–76.[98] A new city park is planned for Petržalka between the Malý Draždiak and Veľký Draždiak lakes.[88]

The city has a number of natural and man-made lakes, most of which are used for recreation. Examples include Štrkovec lake in Ružinov, Kuchajda in Nové Mesto, Zlaté Piesky and the Vajnory lakes in the north-east, and Rusovce lake in the south, which is popular with nudists.[100]

After the formation of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918, Bratislava remained a multi-ethnic city, but with a different demographic trend. Due to Slovakization,[104][105] the proportion of Slovaks and Czechs increased in the city, while the proportion of Germans and Hungarians fell. In 1938, 59% of population were Slovaks or Czechs, while Germans represented 22% and Hungarians 13% of the city's population.[106] The creation of the first Slovak Republic in 1939 brought other changes, most notably the expulsion of many Czechs and the deportation or flight of the Jews during the Holocaust.[11] In 1945, most of the Germans were evacuated. After the restoration of Czechoslovakia, the Beneš decrees (partly revoked in 1948) collectively punished ethnic German and Hungarian minorities by expropriation and deportation to Germany, Austria, and Hungary for their alleged collaborationism with Nazi Germany and Hungary against Czechoslovakia.[57][107][108]

The city thereby obtained its clearly Slovak character.[57] Hundreds of citizens were expelled during the communist oppression of the 1950s, with the aim of replacing "reactionary" people with the proletarian class.[11][57] Since the 1950s, the Slovaks have been the dominant ethnicity in the town, making up around 90% of the city's population.[11]

The mayor, based at the Primate's Palace, is the city's top executive officer and is elected to a four-year term of office. The current mayor of Bratislava is Ivo Nesrovnal, who won the election held on November 15, 2014 as an independent candidate. The city council is the city's legislative body, responsible for issues such as budget, local ordinances, city planning, road maintenance, education, and culture.[116] The Council usually convenes once a month and consists of 45 members elected to four-year terms concurrent with the mayor's. Many of the council's executive functions are carried out by the city commission at the council's direction.[114] The city board is a 28-member body composed of the mayor and his deputies, the borough mayors, and up to ten city council members. The board is an executive and supervisory arm of the city council and also serves in an advisory role to the mayor.[112]

Administratively, Bratislava is divided into five districts: Bratislava I (the city centre), Bratislava II (eastern parts), Bratislava III (north-eastern parts), Bratislava IV (western and northern parts) and Bratislava V (southern parts on the right bank of the Danube, including Petržalka, the most densely populated residential area in Central Europe).[117]

For self-governance purposes, the city is divided into 17 boroughs, each of which has its own mayor (starosta) and council. The number of councillors in each depends on the size and population of the borough.[118] Each of the boroughs coincides with the city's 20 cadastral areas, except for two cases: Nové Mesto is further divided into the Nové Mesto and Vinohrady cadastral areas and Ružinov is divided into Ružinov, Nivy and Trnávka. Further unofficial division recognizes additional quarters and localities.

The Bratislava Region is the wealthiest and most economically prosperous region in Slovakia, despite being the smallest by area and having the second smallest population of the eight Slovak regions. It accounts for about 26% of the Slovak GDP.[119] The GDP per capita (PPP), valued at €41,800 (2009), is 184% of the EU average and is the sixth-highest of all regions in the EU member states.[6]

The average gross monthly salary in the Bratislava region in 2016 was €1427.[120]

The unemployment rate in Bratislava was 1.83% in December 2007.[121] Many governmental institutions and private companies have their headquarters in Bratislava. More than 75% of Bratislava's population works in the service sector, mainly composed of trade, banking, IT, telecommunications, and tourism.[122] The Bratislava Stock Exchange (BSSE), the organiser of the public securities market, was founded on March 15, 1991.[123]

The Slovak economy's strong growth in the 2000s has led to a boom in the construction industry, and several major projects have been completed or are planned in Bratislava.[86] Areas attracting developers include the Danube riverfront, where two major projects are already finished: River Park[128] in the Old Town, and Eurovea[129] near the Apollo Bridge. Other locations under development include the areas around the main railway and bus stations,[130] around the former industrial zone near the Old Town[131] and in the boroughs of Petržalka,[117] Nové Mesto and Ružinov. It is expected that investors will spend €1.2 billion on new projects by 2010.[132] The city has a balanced budget of 277 million Euros (as of 2010[update]), with one fifth used for investment.[133] Bratislava holds shares in 17 companies directly, for example, in the public transport company (Dopravný podnik Bratislava), the waste collection and disposal company, and the water utility.[134] The city also manages municipal organisations such as the City Police (Mestská polícia), Bratislava City Museum and ZOO Bratislava.[135]

One of the most famous sights in the Old Town is the statue of Man at work - Čumil

In 2006, Bratislava had 77 commercial accommodation facilities (of which 45 were hotels) with a total capacity of 9,940 beds.[136] A total of 986,201 visitors, 754,870 of whom were foreigners, stayed overnight. Altogether, visitors made 1,338,497 overnight stays.[136] However, a considerable share of visits is made by those who visit Bratislava for a single day, and their exact number is not known. The largest numbers of foreign visitors come from the Czech Republic, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland and Austria.[136]

Among other factors, the growth of low-cost airline flights to Bratislava, led by Ryanair, has led to conspicuous stag parties, primarily from the UK. While these are a boon to the city's tourism industry, cultural differences and vandalism have led to concern by local officials.[137] Reflecting the popularity of rowdy parties in Bratislava in the early to mid-2000s, the city was a setting in the 2004 comedy film Eurotrip, which was actually filmed in the city and suburbs of Prague, the Czech Republic.

Bratislava is the seat of the Slovak National Theatre, housed in two buildings.[140] The first is a Neo-Renaissance theatre building situated in the Old Town at the end of Hviezdoslav Square. The new building, opened to the public in 2007, is on the riverfront.[87][140] The theatre has three ensembles: opera, ballet and drama.[140] Smaller theatres include the Bratislava Puppet Theatre, the Astorka Korzo '90 theatre, the Arena Theatre, L+S Studio, and the Naive Theatre of Radošina.

The Slovak National Museum (Slovenské národné múzeum), founded in 1961, has its headquarters in Bratislava on the riverfront in the Old Town, along with the Natural History Museum, which is one of its subdivisions. It is the largest cultural institution in Slovakia, and manages 16 specialised museums in Bratislava and beyond.[144] The Bratislava City Museum (Múzeum mesta Bratislavy), established in 1868, is the oldest museum in continuous operation in Slovakia.[145] Its primary goal is to chronicle Bratislava's history in various forms from the earliest periods using historical and archaeological collections. It offers permanent displays in eight specialised museums.

The Slovak National Gallery, founded in 1948, offers the most extensive network of galleries in Slovakia. Two displays in Bratislava are next to one another at Esterházy Palace (Esterházyho palác,Eszterházy palota) and the Water Barracks (Vodné kasárne,Vizikaszárnya) on the Danube riverfront in the Old Town. The Bratislava City Gallery, founded in 1961, is the second-largest Slovak gallery of its kind. The gallery offers permanent displays at Pálffy Palace (Pálffyho palác,Pálffy palota) and Mirbach Palace (Mirbachov palác,Mirbach palota), in the Old Town.[146] Danubiana Art Museum, one of the youngest art museums in Europe, is near Čunovowaterworks.[147]

In 2010 Artmedia were relegated from the Corgon Liga under their new name of MFK Petržalka, finishing 12th and bottom. FC Petržalka akadémia currently competes in 5. liga after bankruptcy in summer 2014. Another known club from the city is FK Inter Bratislava. Founded in 1945, they have their home ground at Stadium ŠKP Inter Dúbravka in Dúbravka, (formerly at Štadión Pasienky) and currently plays in the 3. liga. There are many more clubs with long tradition and successful history despite the lack of success in last years, e.g. LP Domino Bratislava currently playing in 4. liga; FK Rača Bratislava competing in the 3. liga as well as Inter; FK ŠKP Inter Dúbravka Bratislava, following ŠKP Devín (successful team from 1990s) and partially following the original Inter (original Inter bankrupted in 2009, sold the Corgoň Liga license to FK Senica and legally merged with FC ŠKP Dúbravka; current Inter has taken over the tradition, name, colours, fans etc., but legally is no successor of the original Inter); FC Tatran Devín, the club that was successful mostly at youth level and merged with ŠKP Bratislava in 1995; MŠK Iskra Petržalka, playing under the name ŠK Iskra Matadorfix Bratislava in the former 1st League (today 2nd) in 1997/98.

The Slovak Academy of Sciences is also based in Bratislava. However, the city is one of the few European capitals to have neither an observatory nor a planetarium. The nearest observatory is in Modra, 30 kilometres (19 mi) away, and the nearest planetarium is in Hlohovec, 70 kilometres (43 mi) away. CEPIT, the Central European Park For Innovative Technologies, is slated for development in Vajnory. This science and technology park will combine public and private research and educational institutions.[161] Construction was expected to begin in 2008, but has since stalled.[162]

The geographical position of Bratislava in Central Europe has long made it a natural crossroads for international trade traffic.[163]

Public transport in Bratislava is managed by Dopravný podnik Bratislava, a city-owned company. The transport system is known as Mestská hromadná doprava (MHD, Municipal Mass Transit) and employs buses, trams and trolleybuses.[164] An additional service, Bratislavská integrovaná doprava (Bratislava Integrated Transport), links train and bus routes in the city with points beyond.

As a rail hub, the city has direct connections to Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany and the rest of Slovakia. Petržalka and Bratislava hlavná stanica are the main railway stations. Main bus station (Autobusová stanica Mlynské Nivy or AS Mlynské Nivy) is located at Mlynské Nivy, east of city centre and offers bus connections to cities in Slovakia and international bus lines.

^ ab"Petržalka City". City of Bratislava. March 1, 2007. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved January 29, 2008. Petržalka City will transform the largest and most densely populated housing estate in Central Europe from a monotone cement-panel housing scheme into a fully-fledged town with autonomous multipurpose centre.

^Zuzana Habšudová (May 29, 2006). "Bratislava wearies of stag tourism". The Slovak Spectator. Archived from the original on September 5, 2006. Retrieved April 28, 2007. We hope the number of British tourists visiting Slovakia will continue to increase, but we want it to be responsible tourism.